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Cumbria Sport Youth Games Team

The Cumbria Sport Partnership organises each year the Cumbria Youth Games. The event involves 6 districts across Cumbria involving over 900 children and over 250 volunteers. This year’s event held at Barrow on the 2nd July witnessed the highest rate of participation yet with young people competing at a very high level but most of all enjoying taking part and being involved within the games.

Welfare

Event roles included co-ordinating for the event e.g. equipment, venue, branding, included marshalling. Set up on the day. The young people were supported through communicating effectively with team managers, arranging camera registration etc.
As a team on the day the volunteers met regularly and identified strengths and weaknesses and agreed task and rules accordingly. The key values for the team included:

• Communication – they kept in touch and discussed issues
• Image – they wanted to project a positive and organised branded image
• Support – they helped each other out and covered each other if a problem arose
• Enthusiasm – they enjoyed the games and wanted to be positive, friendly and energetic with the young people taking part in the games

With these values they did progress together as a team rather than as individuals in a group and definitely moved through the forming, standing, norming and performing stages. Roles and tasks on the day were established through brief meetings and consultation with Cumbria Sports Volunteer Manager The event has had a major impact on the young people who participated in the Youth Games. Many have gone on to represent their County in their sport(s). Their were 15 sports including Boccia.

In addition it has inspired more regular participation in sport and physical activity.

From young volunteers perspectives it has also had a big impact. For example Kate Hansbury who is one of the volunteers learnt so much from her involvement that she was offered over the summer a full time job as an Assistant Sports Development Officer for Cumbria Sport. She has recently graduated with a BA Hons in Leisure and Sports Studies.

Development of Others

The young people develop from a sense of achievement – representing their local authority and the opportunity to play a high standard of sport. The volunteers also act as role models for the participants on the day.

Inclusion

All the volunteers are CRB checked in line with Child Protection and Welfare. Part of their role is enforcing the photographing regulations in line with the Policy for the event. There is a disability event and an inclusive athletics event the volunteer help out with, Stuart Barrow is also mentally disabled himself but was able to make a worthy contribution as a volunteer at these games.

Personal Development

This is best shown by Kate Hansbury’s case study as written herself:

As a student studying a BA Honours degree in Leisure and Sports Studies, one of my modules in year two was titled Work Experience. I have known since I went to Leeds Metropolitan University in 2003 that the field of work I want to concentrate in is Sports Development.

I was asked by the University to complete 4 – 6 weeks, or 120 hours worth of work experience within a subject that interests me, and for me to establish whether I have chosen the right career path, and then complete an assignment talking about my experiences.

I was lucky to get the chance to join Cumbria Sport for 4 weeks. Cumbria Sport is a partnership working together with the six different Council districts around Cumbria (Carlisle, Eden, Allerdale, Copeland, South Lakeland and Barrow), also Sport England, the National Governing Bodies, Disability Sport, Racial Equality and Women’s Foundation of Sport. The Cumbria Sport Partnership works together to deliver sport development programmes and ensures the progression of these courses reaches out and benefits the public.

At Cumbria Sport I worked closely with the Active Sports Partnership Manager – Eddie Edge, the Volunteer Development Officer – Becky Underwood, the Sport and Physical Education Development Officer – Vanessa Foster, the Club & Coach Development Officer – Joanna McLean and the Sport and Recreation Officer Richard Johnston.

One of the biggest experiences and achievements I have gained with Cumbria Sport this summer was being able to be heavily involved with the organisation and running of this year’s Cumbria Youth Games in Barrow on the 2nd of July. As the Youth Games is organised by Cumbria Sport I began to gain knowledgeable information about event organisation, and learned how to make the event, which involves the 6 districts across Cumbria involving over 900 Children and over 250 Volunteers, successful!! With the event being very high profile, with lots of important guests the event had to run like clockwork.

Prior to the event their was a lot of tasks to be completed such as building up packs of information to be sent to each of the six districts and goodie bags to be put together for participants, team managers and volunteers! I myself was put in charge of this huge task, which was a really big responsibility. With over 1100 bags to pack which included a t-shirt (colour depending on your district), a water bottle, an exclusive Cumbria Sport Wristband, a programme for the day and some goodies from the Cumberland Building Society –the main sponsor of the event, it was quite a demanding job! It took time and a good planning structure which I ensured would work.

During this period it occurred to me just how big the Cumbria Youth Games is, and I learned that from different perspectives its about working together which is what the Cumbria Sport Partnership ensures as one of its main themes. It proved to me that teamwork is a key essential you have to obtain to be able to work in this environment and partnership!

The day itself proved to be one of the most successful games yet, with a huge turn out of participants competing on a very high level, but most of all enjoying taking part and being involved with the games. I myself felt very privileged to have been associated with Cumbria Sport on a professional level as their hard work and determination had been recognised!

Personal Qualities

1) People’s Sports
Events delivery and organisation requires the following skills and abilities:

• Organisational Skills
• Written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to understand and work as part of a team
• Self awareness
• Supportive and friendly approach
• Flexibility when things don’t go to plan
• Understanding and awareness of young people’s needs
• Ability to reflect and review performance
• Enthusiasm, energy and commitment

It takes a lot of time and preparation on the day – it’s a long day from set-up to clearing away especially with 900 participants!

Our team of young volunteers demonstrated all of these incredible qualities without which the event would not have been as successful as it was. They now go on and look forward to joining other sport events teams – who knows they may well be there in 2012 supporting our Olympic hopes of medal and paralympic success.